Draft Notes: Caleb Farley Risk Will Turn Some Teams Away

Caleb Farley has some injury history that will likely turn some teams away. The Browns know first hand how it goes with relying on corners that can’t stay healthy. The two shouldn’t be a match if Farley slips.

There has been some injury concerns with Virginia Tech product Caleb Farley, one of the better cornerbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Farley has had back surgery, at quite a young age that won’t have him ready until about preseason.

Meeting with league doctors in Indianapolis last week Farley was given good news and his physical went well. However, it is still a touchy injury when it comes to the back for a corner or any athlete that endures a lot of contact. Farley was one time looked at as the top corner in the draft, now it looks more likely he’s the third selected at best.

Patrick Surtain ll and Jaycee Horn are two corners that are likely to be selected before Farley. There is simply less risk with these two players. Having had back surgery in your early 20’s is not ideal and could turn some teams away from the potential of drafting Farley.

Cleveland for instance comes into play a bit more since Farley could slip. The Browns have a need for defensive back help, but deal with their own corners who haven’t been able to stay healthy. Greedy Williams missed his entire second season and even Denzel Ward has missed games at a time.

Drafting another cornerback with injury concerns wouldn’t be ideal for the Browns who need players at the position that can be relied on. Farley didn’t play the 2020 season, but produced in his freshman and sophomore years.

There are cornerbacks with less of a risk that Cleveland can find of good value in this draft. Even if Farley slips the Browns would be wise to stay out of the way on this one. A team could take the risk involved and still select Farley in the top-20 picks, it just isn’t a popular trend at the moment in his draft stock.

If Farley is still on the board at the 26th pick it would be wise for Cleveland to field trade calls for potential suitors or take the top player on their draft board. Injuries were a big damper on Cleveland last year, one could possibly be avoided by having the player off your draft board completely.